Washing machine having structure to discharge liquid around the washing impeller



Dec. 20, 1955 c. B. COLSTON 2,727,379

WASHING MACHINE HAVING STRUCTURE TO DISCHARGE LIQUID AROUND THE WASHING IMPELLER Filed Aug. 28, 1950 \OO cc:

acooocco y M 5:. M A ttornev United States Patent WASHING MACHINE HAVING STRUCTURE TO DISCHARGE LIQUID AROUND THE WASHING IMPELLER Charles Blampied Colston, Perivale, Greenford, England, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 28, 1950, Serial No. 181,763

7 Claims. (Cl. 68-53) This invention relates to washing machines of the kind intended primarily for washing household clothes, fabrics and the like, and comprising a container for washing liquid, and a continuously rotating impeller mounted within the container and arranged to be operated by suitable driving mechanism so as to agitate the contents of the container.

The present invention is a modification of that claimed in the present United States patent application No. 170,337 filed June 2-6, 1950, assigned to the common assignee of this application. The latter is characterized by holes through the impeller in the region of its axis, and projections and recesses provided on the back of the impeller so as to draw liquid through the holes to the space behind the impeller and deliver it outwards through the gap between the container and the periphery of the impeller.

In accordance with the present invention, instead of being admitted to the back of the impeller through holes in the impeller, the liquid is admitted through one or more passageways formed in or on the container.

Thus according to the present invention a washing machine comprises a container for washing liquid, a continuously rotating impeller mounted adjacent a wall of the container with one face, referred to as the front, exposed to the washing space in the container, and one or more passageways for admitting liquid from the container to the back of the impeller, the impeller being formed and arranged to act as a centrifugal pump with an annular delivery outlet constituted by the gap between its periphery and the adjacent wall of the container, so that liquid is delivered back to the container through the said gap.

The invention is applicable to washing machines of various types but in a preferred application the impeller is mounted adjacent a side wall of the container and its axis.

Preferably the front face of the impeller is formed with projections and recesses to induce within the container a flow of liquid circumferentially about the axis and hence centrifugally outwards.

In one form of the invention the impeller has on its back surfare projections and recesses to act as centrifugal pump vanes for causing the liquid behind it to flow out through the gap between the periphery of the impeller and the adjacent wall of the container.

The form and arrangement of passageways may vary. For example, the impeller may be mounted adjacent an inner or false wall of the container having openings in or around it at points spaced from the impeller to allow liquid from the container to flow into the space behind it, and one or more holes in it behind the impeller in the region of its axis to admit the liquid to the back of the impeller.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but two specific embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

" nent of movement radially outwards.

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Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of one form of washing machine looking towards the impeller,

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken along the line IIII of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of a modified arrangement, and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the rear face of a washing impeller.

The washing machine is of the well known type comprising a disc-like impeller A having six radial ribs A of smoothly curved cross section mounted close to a vertical side wall B of a container B for washing liquid. The other side wall B of the container is parallel to that containing the impeller, whilst the container also has two vertical end walls B and B and a substantially horizontal bottom wall B extending from the end wall B to about the centre of the container, whence an inclined wall C slopes up to join the other end wall B In accordance with the invention a duct D is mounted on the outside of the container wall B so as to extend from a small distribution box behind the impeller towards the sloping Wall C, and communicates with a number of perforations C in the latter. For example the wall C may be an inner or false wall and the duct D may communicate through an opening D with a triangular space between it and continuations of the walls B and B The impeller is mounted on a horizontal shaft A passing through a stuffing box and bearing D carried by the duct D and carries a driving pulley A driven by a motor E through a pulley E and belt E Around the shaft the wall B has an opening D through which liquid can fiow from the duct D to the back of the impeller which acts on it like a centrifugal pump and delivers it back to the container through the gap F between th periphery of the impeller and the adjacent wall 13 The latter is preferably formed with an annular pressed up rib G surrounding the impeller to minimize any tendency for clothes to get behind it, as well as diverting the water flowing out from the gap into a direction having an axial component.

The arrangement of Figure 3 is similar to that of Figures 1 and 2 except that the stuffing box and bearing 13 is carried by the outer wall B of the container and the impeller is mounted adjacent an inner or false side wall H, in which the inlet opening or eye D of the impeller is formed. The wall H is provided with an opening, not shown, to the space beneath the plate C corresponding to the opening D in the wall B of Figures 1 and 2.

In operation continuous rotation about its horizontal axis is imparted to the impeller. The ribs on its front face entrain the liquid and impart to it a circumferential movement which in turn produces a centrifugal compo- Eifective washing action results in a known manner. At the same time the back face of the impeller produces a similar centrifugal pumping action on the liquid behind the impeller which is accordingly delivered out through the gap F between the periphery of the impeller and the adjacent wall. This will tend positively to oppose any tendency for any clothes to travel into the gap where they might be caught and damaged. As the water is delivered in this way from the space behind the impeller more water is drawn in to take its place through the holes C and the duct D and the opening D Conveniently the impeller is pressed from a single thickness of material so that the ribs A on its front face are reproduced as grooves I in its rear face and the portions of the impeller between the ribs appear as ribs on its rear face as shown in Figure 4, in which case these grooves may be sufiicient to give the desired pumping action. Alternatively if necessary the back of the impeller may be provided with more or less pronounced vanes.

The instant invention in a washing machine has been described herein as embodied in several preferred forms which are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to be taken in a limiting sense. Modifications of the described constructions, falling within the'spirit of the invention, will occur to those skilled in the art, and accordingly, it is intended that the invention include equivalcntconstructions and not be limited exeept as set forth in the claims which follow.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A clothes washing machine comprising a bottom wall member joinedto an upstanding side wall structure defining a container for washing liquid, a washing and liquid circulating impeller in said chamber having a'front clothes and liquid agitating face directed into said chamber and an imperforate disc-like face directed toward and positioned closely adjacent to one 9f said walls, means mounting said impeller in said container for unidirec-.

tional rotation about a horizontal axis adjacent said side wall structure, a perforated plate in said container extending at an angle to the horiiontal from said bottom wall member to said side wall structure to wall off a portion of said container from clothing placed therein, said side wall structure being formed with openings to the rear of said impeller and to the walled-oil space beneath said perforated plate, and a channel member secured to said side wall structure forming a liquid passageway between said openings.

2. A clothes washing machine comprising a container for washing liquid including a plurality of walls defining a washing chamber, a washing and liquid circulating impeller in said chamber adjacent one wall thereof having an exposed clothes contacting and liquid circulating face formed with a scrubbing surface directed into said chamber to scrub the clothes in the chamber, an imperforate disc-like rear face on said impeller directed toward and positioned closely adjacent to said one wall, means mounting said impeller for rotation in said chamber, a liquid passageway having communication with an opening in said one wall behind the impeller and connecting to a portion of said chamber removed from said impeller for leading washing liquid therefrom to the rear face of said impeller, the liquid supplied to the rear face of said impeller being discharged into the washing chamber by the impeller across the periphery thereof to urge clothes being washed away from the space between said impeller and said one wall, and a screen shielding the inlet to said liquid passageway and forming a portion of a wall of said chamber to prevent clothes being Washed from entering said liquid passageway.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the rear face of said impeller is provided with recesses and protrusions forming centrifugal pump vanes for producing liquid flow through said passageway. I

Apparatus c r g to cla m .2 i which said reen comprises a perforated plate lying at an angle to the bottom of said container forming a common wall of said washing chamber and said liquid passageway and providing for flow of washing liquid through its perforations from said washing chamber to said liquid passageway.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said one 7 wall of said washing chamber forms part of said liquid passageway forming means and is positioned inwardly of and in spaced parallel relation to an outer wall of said container.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said one e l f i h n ham er is formed to provide a recess receiving the impeller and including a portion surrounding the pcripheral portion of the impeller in closely spaced relation thereto to define an annular discharge port around the impeller leading to the space at the rear face of the impeller and opening into the interior of the washing chamber whereby liquid supplied to the rear face of the impeller is discharged through the port across the periphery of the impeller into the washing chamber in a direction having a component parallel to the axis of the impeller.

7. A clothes Washing machine comprising a container for washing liquid including a plurality of walls defining a washing chamber, a washing and liquid circulating impeller in said chamber adjacent one wall thereof having an exposed clothes contacting and liquid circulating face formed with a scrubbing surface directed into said chamber to scrub the clothes and to circulate the liquid for agitating the clothes in the chamber, an imperforate disclike rear face on said impeller directed toward and positioned closely adjacent to said one wall, means mounting said impeller for rotation in said chamber, a liquid passageway having communication with an opening in said one Wall behind the impeller and connecting to a portion of said chamber removed from said impeller for leading washing liquid therefrom to the rear face of said impeller, the liquid supplied to the rear face'of said impeller being discharged into the washing chamber by the impeller across the periphery thereof to urge clothes being washed away from the space between said impeller and said one wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent ITED STATES PATENTS 

